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The Adventure of the Crooning Crocodile
The Adventure of the Crooning Crocodile is the fourth short story in the Biggles - Charter Pilot , published in 1943. The story first appeared in Boy's Own Paper in December 1941 under the title "The Crocodile of Congawonga". In Charter Pilot, this story is preceded by The Adventure of the Horticultural Hermits and followed by The Adventure of the Oxidized Grotto. The story was adapted in French for a comic strip and included in the small format comic book Biggles dans le désert by Aredit under the title Le crocodile parlant, published in 1967. Synopsis While relaxing with squadron mates by a river, Ginger shows an aversion to swiming in the water. This leads to his account of his adventures with Biggles, Algy and Dr Augustus Duck tracking down rumours of a talking crocodile in Africa. Plot (click on expand to read) Dr Duck wants to go to Africa in search of the fabled "Crooning Crocodile of Congawonga". His notes show three witnesses to this creature: first was a British political officer who went inland to the village of Congawonga to investigate rumours of the crocodile. He never came back but his boots and papers were found later. Second was a Belgian missionary who returned from Congawonga but died of fever babbling in his delirium about the crocodile. The last witness was a journalist who saw the crocodile and only just escaped with his life. Unfortunately his subsequent newspaper story was greeted with ridicule and he either retired or was dismissed by his employers. Taking the Wanderer, Biggles and co. locate the lake on which stood the village of Congawonga. Landing a little downstream, they then paddle to the lake in a dinghy. The crocodile was said to live in a special pond and lived in a temple on one side. Every night it would appear on a slipway connecting the temple with the pond. It would speak to a high priest, telling him what it wanted to eat. The frightened villagers would then dump the food on the slipway. The crocodile would retrieve the food, sing a song of thanks and take it back to the temple. Knowing the villagers could be unfriendly, Biggles and co. go to the pond fully armed and there actually witness the crocodile speaking to the high priest and the villagers bringing the food for the animal. Unfortunately, the crocodile spots Biggles and co. and lets out a loud bellow, charging for them. At this point there is a bright flash of light. It's Dr Duck with his camera! The flash blinds Ginger and causes him to fall into the pond. The crocodile's jaws close over his leg. Algy shoots at the tail and causes the jawss to open again, freeing Ginger. The crocodile scrambles into the temple with Biggles following. There is the sound of a frightful struggle. When the others join Biggles, they find that he has torn the crocodile skin off, revealing a man inside. He had been using the crocodile skin as a scam to extort produce such as rubber and palm nut kernels from the villagers. He was in league with the high priest, who would take a cut when the commodities were sold. The man implores Biggles not to let the villagers know about him as he would surely be killed. Meanwhile the villagers have surrounded the temple and are turning hostile. Biggles finds someone who can speak English and tells him to explain the truth to his people. The crowd hesitates. Matters hang in the balance. Just then, yet another flash! Dr Duck's camera does the trick. The villagers are shocked and run off in fear. Biggles and co. take the man in the crocodile disguise and deliver him to the authorities who throw him into jail. Characters Narrate Story *Biggles *Algy *Ginger *Dr Augustus Duck *Major Kilton *Monsieur Boulenger *Davis 666 Sqn Personnel during the Preamble *Bertie *Tex O'Hara *Tug Carrington *Henry Harcourt *Angus Mackail Aircraft *Wanderer Places Visited *Congawonga - village near the tripoint of Belgian Congo, French Equatorial Africa and British Sudan. Mentioned Research Notes References to the past Incongruities Chronology References Category:Biggles short stories Category:Short stories Category:Interwar era short stories